The Wimberley Texans out of District 13-4A Division II hosted the Fredericksburg Battlin’ Billies out of District 14-4A Division I Friday night. Wimberley is 3-0 and our #10 ranked team in 4A and Fredericksburg came in 1-1 after a 31-28 win over Kerrville Tivy last week.
Both teams were ready to go, the stadium was packed, but unfortunately, the referees were a no-show.
Referee shortages are affecting all sports throughout the country, and Texas high school football is getting hit hard by it. We’ve seen games being played early on Thursdays often this season so that officials, who are booked on Friday, can work the games.
There was apparently a miscommunication between the schools and the referees on the date of the game. It was reported, on Twitter, by Colton McWilliams, that the teams agreed upon several volunteers that were former coaches to step in and serve as referees.
Fredericksburg-Wimberley football game currently in a delay due a shortage of referees @LanceWinter @Nick_Castillo74 @dctf @Tepper @Matt_Stepp817 @IshmaelRJohnson @ashley_pickle12 @ThomasJonesAAS
— Colton McWilliams (@ColtonBMc) September 17, 2022
Both teams were ready to play, but the UIL stepped in and canceled the game. There is a rule that all referees must be certified. The game has been moved to tomorrow, at 10 am.
The fact that both coaches agreed to this is the best thing I’ve ever heard. FWIW at least there were some state champions lined up to officiate 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/LCFHbaInPg pic.twitter.com/5iuAZ8roMw
— Buck (@BUCKWILD33) September 17, 2022
UPDATE:
The game was played on Saturday. Wimberley won, 17-14.
